I took a photo of a painting I saw last week that said, “Life is a full-time job.” Amen to that!  

Lately, it has taken most of my energy just to meet my commitments. Work, parenting, partnering, sleep, exercise, getting outside, grocery shopping, eye exams, staying connected to the people in my small inner circle. I haven’t had much left for anything else, and that is okay! Sometimes I’m in a season of “Yes!” and it’s wonderful. A season of “No, not right now” seems a little less inspiring on the face of it, but it’s still full of learning and such a big part of life. 

It’s in these kinds of seasons that I look for the Potent Places—where are the intersections in my life that many needs can be met at once? If I were to arrange all the circles of my life onto a big Venn diagram, the circles would be called things like:  

  • Nature
  • Children, young adults, and animals 
  • Reading 
  • Music 
  • Walking and movement 
  • Swimming 
  • Cooking and eating 
  • Friends and family 
  • Creating 
  • Laughter 
  • Adventure  

 I’m finally making good on one of my intentions, which is to walk my dog Olive around the block at 7:30am when the neighborhood kids are waiting for their bus. Normally, I am working or at the gym that time in the morning, but I thought, “Why am I inside when all these amazing little souls are a half block away?!” The children surround Olive with love and kisses, tell me about their dogs and what they’re going to do at school that day, and I come home walking on air.  

This is what I mean about a Potent Place—I get nature, movement, kids, friends, laughter, and animals all in one 5-minute interaction. The tradeoff is that I have to rearrange my mornings to be there. I have to be intentional. I have to look up, be awake, get off autopilot. 

Sea Church is another Potent Place. 8am Sunday mornings, small group gathering on the beach to cold plunge. Nature, swimming, friends, laughter, adventure. The whole thing lasts 30 minutes, but the benefits last a week. It’s the exact opposite of going on a weekend trip with someone you don’t really feel yourself with. You have lots of time, maybe spend lots of money of special things, but it’s still not a Potent Place.  

I need these intersections so badly right now. I really feel as if I can’t live without them. Arranging my life to experience them isn’t necessarily easy, and it’s taken me 50 years to keep perfecting what my own recipe is.  

What are your circles called? Where do they intersect? Try moving your body to put it right where the shading is—I hope you feel a rush of well-being. I’d love to hear what you try.